by Chanda Hahn
Curses were one thing. I was a murderer, and mother never told me the heavy burden that guilt caused. It was suffocating. I felt like I was the one on the bottom of the pool chained to the floor. What I wanted more than anything was a chance at redemption.
“Okay,” I muttered.
“What was that, dear? Did you say something?” She grinned.
I knew darn well she heard me, but she was enjoying the gloating.
“Fine,” I snapped. “I will give up my magic.”
“Excellent.” Sirena moved behind her throne and pulled out a conch shell. She carried it over and held it out in front of me. “Put your hand inside.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
Her lips pinched together in frustration. “I said put your hand inside. We must seal the pact.”
My right hand trembled as I slid it against the cool shell. My fingers followed the curved form, disappearing as it dipped downward.
“Ouch!” I cried and tried to yank my hand back. It was trapped within the conch. A searing pain bit into the tips of my fingers, and I could feel my warm blood drip down into the shell.
The sea witch’s head dropped back, her eyes closed, and she moaned under her breath. “Yes. Yes!”
I fought the shell one last time, giving it a hard shake, and it released my fingers and fell to the floor. The conch rolled, and blood—my blood—dripped from within and pooled on the floor. My heart pounded loudly; my breathing stopped as I saw the omen come to pass.
I backed away, tripping over the discarded mussel shells as I clasped my injured hand to my chest. My fingers still bled, but it wasn’t horrible. What scared me was the white lines that ran from my fingertips up the inner palm of my hand, like white veins that looked like coral.
“What did you do to me?” I accused, showing her my hand.
The witch rushed forward, scooped the shell into her hands, and cradled it lovingly. “I did a binding contract in blood.” She kneeled by the pool and held the shell up. A daughter with soft-lavender hair broke the surface and grasped the conch shell. Her lips sought it hungrily.
Sirena held the conch and let her daughter drink deeply from it. I watched in horror as my blood dripped down the side of the mermaid’s face.
After she drank, the mermaid wiped the drip with the back of her hand. Her mouth pursed as she tried to form words. “Th-thank you, M-mother,” she whispered before diving back into the water.
The sea witch clasped the conch to her chest and visibly wept.
“Did you hear her? Did you hear Velora? She called me Mother.”
Quickly, the other six sisters rose to the surface, and each one of them reached for the conch greedily.
“Not yet, my sweets. Soon, soon. We mustn’t take too much now or we will kill her, and you won’t be healed.” The sea witch’s eyes glittered dangerously at me.
“What did you say?” I gasped.
The sea witch held the conch close to her body protectively and stepped away from the hands of her six daughters who were now all reaching out of the pool. Their cries were painful in pitch and desperation. Their eyes fastened on the magic conch.
“Your magic is in your blood. For me to break the curse on my daughters, they need a continuous supply. Which is why we will be slowly taking it from you over the next few weeks. You’ve already been linked and can see the mark.”
I looked down at the coral white lines on my hand and could already feel a weakness in my body.
“When the curse mark reaches your heart, it will heal all seven of my daughters, and you will be dead.”
“Dead. You never mentioned I would be dead when this is over!”
“Oh, didn’t I? Silly me. Yes, of course I said you’d be free. And the greatest freedom is death.”
“No, you deceived me!”
“I only did what your mother did to me! A curse for a curse,” she hissed. Her eyes went black as her pupils widened. “Her sweet lies that cost me so much. Now, it is my turn to take something away from her. I will have my revenge.” She curled her hands into fists as she cackled.
I felt so helpless, trapped by my stupidity because I wanted to be the hero. I wanted to help others and therefore guaranteed my death.
“No, this can’t be,” I whispered.
A loud, haunting whisper rose out of the deep of the cave. A man’s voice that sounded like it came from beyond the grave gave a creepy warning.
“You promised,” the haunted voice called out. “You promised.” The two words repeated as if spoken by a thousand voices.
The sea witch cocked her head and listened. She gave me a sly smile.
“That I did,” she answered.
I didn’t think she was speaking to me.
“There is a way to break the curse.” She twirled a finger around a pearl bead braided in her hair. “It should be easy for you, since you’ve already done it once before.”
“What? What must I do?” My world was closing in on me, and I was struggling to breathe.
Her eyes glowed with excitement. From the folds of her seaweed dress, she produced a sheathed dagger, and embedded in the handle was the ruby ring Vasili brought to the island.
She unsheathed the deadly blade. “The heart stone in this dagger will glow red when presented with the one acceptable as a sacrifice. If you plunge the blade into the heart of them, it will break the curse.” Sirena sheathed the dagger and placed it in my palm, wrapping my fingers around it and giving my hand a reassuring pat. “A life for a life.”
“No.” I tried to give it back.
“Really? I’m surprised at you. You call yourself a daughter of Eville, and yet you balk at this simple task.”
“Taking a life is never a simple task. It’s murder.”
“Yes, and your hands are already stained with blood. What’s one more life? Especially if they are as evil as Armon? I’m sure the world will be better off without another rapist. Ask yourself, aren’t you glad he is no longer alive to terrorize your sisters and other young women?”
“Yes.” My fingers hurt as I grasped the hilt, my knuckles turning white.
“Then maybe you would do the world another favor. Take the dagger, take a life, and save yourself.”
The weapon dropped to my side, my shoulders slumped, and I stared at the water puddles that covered the cave floor.
She leaned close to me; her breath came in excited whispers. “But you need to do it before this—” She touched the white mark on my hand. “—reaches here.” She jabbed my heart. “Or you’ll be dead.” She cackled. In a whirl of seaweed, she spun, holding the conch shell high above her head like a prize. “Oh, and I forgot to mention something else. You cannot speak to anyone of our deal or your mouth will burn with fire.”
My blood turned cold in my veins. My body shivered as I realized my plan at redemption had failed. I would need to murder again, not to protect someone, but to survive. My legs gave out, and I collapsed, bruising my knees on the rough stone, feeling alone and defeated. I was too shocked to even cry at my misfortune and fate.
“But a deal is a deal.” She snapped her fingers, and I felt a wave of power emanate through the room.
Then I remembered why I had come. I crawled toward the pool and looked into the water, and what I saw terrified me. The crew was waking up. I could see them struggling against the chains. Brennon’s eyes were open, and he was swatting at the mermaids who were coming and tormenting him. Vasili was clawing and pawing at the water, trying to swim to the surface.
“Let them go!” I screamed.
“I did.” Sirena stepped backward, holding the shell as she retreated to the far end of the room. “I released them from the spell that kept them asleep.” She pulled an iron key from around her neck and tossed it into the pool. The key floated to the bottom, just out of Brennon’s reach.
“Now, the rest is up to you.” She waved at me.
I reached for magic, opening my mouth to sing.
“Ah, ah, ah!” Sirena held the shell in the
air. “If you use your magic, your curse spreads faster! It could kill you right now, and then where would your friends be?”
I swore under my breath, dropped the dagger onto the cavern floor, and dove straight into the pool. The cold hit me like a slap to the face as I dug with my hands and kicked like a madwoman. A blur of motion swam past me, and I remembered I was down here with seven carnivorous mermaids.
My eyes on the iron key, which sat partially submerged beneath the sand, I could already see that some other crew had yet to awaken from their spell. Either that or they had already drowned.
No! Don’t focus on the negative.
Finally, I reached the key and swam over to the heavy padlock on the anchor stone beneath Brennon. The water kept wanting to pull me upward, and I had to kick to stay near the bottom. I pushed the key in the lock. Desperately, I tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge.
Then someone else was there. Brennon grabbed the key from me. His mouth was pinched in a hard line, his brows furrowed as he tried to use his exceptional strength to turn the key. During our endeavor, the knit hat slid from my head, and my red hair floated in the water like a cloud of blood.
Vasili, chained five feet over, had stopped swimming and now floated in the water, his body motionless.
“Mmmph,” I cried out in distress. Air bubbles escaped my lips, and I focused back on Brennon. He hit the lock a few times and tried to turn it again. That’s when I realized it was the wrong key. Sirena never intended for me to free the men. It was another trick. And I was the fool.
Brennon realized the key didn’t work. He could see the panic in my eyes. My lungs were burning, and I desperately wanted to abandon him and swim to the surface for air.
He grabbed my shoulders and placed a palm against my cheek. He pointed up, and I shook my head, refusing to leave him.
His eyes darkened, and he gripped my shoulders and tried to use his massive strength to propel me to the surface. I fought him tooth-and-nail, kicking and fighting to stay near him. Then, the unthinkable happened. Brennon’s mouth opened and he gasped. I could see him convulse as he began to drown. His eyes filled with pain.
I couldn’t let that happen. I had to save everyone. I had to save him.
No matter the cost to myself or the sea witches warning. I kicked to the surface and broke through the water, gasping. Exhausted and half choking, I focused all of my power and sang a clear note, followed by a second.
I continued to sing and used my hands to coax the water to my bidding, sending it into a vortex, pushing against itself. Note after note, it followed my commands. As the water receded, we all dropped to the sandy floor, a wall of water now rushing around us like a hurricane and we were in the eye.
My hands pushed out as I focused on holding the water back, knowing that if I lost my concentration, the water would return and hit us like a wall, crushing and possibly killing all of us.
Brennon lay immobile on his back, and I desperately wanted to rush to his aid, but I couldn’t. I had to continue to sing. My hands trembled under the strain, but I needed help. A few of the men stirred, their spell having worn off, but neither Vasili nor Brennon moved.
I saw a purple blur watch me through the rushing waters, and I silently pleaded with her, motioning with my head to help Brennon. The mermaid nodded and stepped through the wall of water. Velora’s long lavender hair covered her naked chest and legs as she tiptoed over to Brennon’s side. She leaned down and pressed her mouth to his, and I thought she was killing him.
My singing faltered, and the water rushed in a few feet.
She stopped and glared at me angrily. “No, stop! Sing,” she commanded. “I help.”
I had no choice but to watch as the beautiful woman leaned back over Brennon and pressed her mouth to his. A few seconds later, Brennon coughed. She backed away, and water spewed from his mouth. She rolled him over on his side to help clear his lungs.
“There.” The mermaid pointed through the moving wall of water to a dark cave. “Safety. There.”
Understanding, I used my hands and pushed the water farther back, revealing an exit at the bottom of the pool. Where it led, I didn’t know. But I knew enough that the mermaids wouldn’t want me dead. Not yet. Not until all the sisters could walk and talk.
Velora motioned with her hands to her other sisters, and they came through the water wall. “Come. Help!” She pointed.
The girls hissed and cried out in pain as they walked along the floor. Each one grabbed a half-enchanted crewmember and carried them out of the exit. Despite their stature, mermaids were incredibly strong.
I couldn’t help but wonder if they were taking them away to eat them or imprison them again.
Velora easily lifted Brennon. His head fell back on her shoulder. “We help.” She turned and walked after her sisters, her long hair covering her backside. I could see that, unlike the painful steps of her sisters, Velora’s were long and confident. It even seemed that the more she used her voice, the more eloquent she became. And it was because of the promise of the curse being lifted that the others were helping me.
What seemed like forever, but was probably only minutes later, the sisters returned and helped another seven men out of the cavern. After a quick count. I saw it was more than the twenty men who had originally come ashore. It was our entire crew.
A mermaid picked up Vasili on the second rescue wave, and after the fifth wave, I was the only one left, and by then, my throat was burning. I ran after the girls into the dark tunnel. It was slippery but had natural worn steps that led upward. When we hit dry stone, I knew we had reached above sea level, so I stopped singing and turned to watch the water rush in after me.
A great roar filled the air as a mighty wave rushed down the tunnel and splashed up the steps to hit my knees.
A chorus of cries came from above, and six colorful heads came running back down the steps. One after another, they dove back into the water and transformed into mermaids. Their green, blue, and rose-colored tails cut through the wave and disappeared into their home.
Only Velora stood at the top of the steps, waiting for me. When I reached the top, I saw we came out behind a waterfall, and it was midmorning. Most of the crew were still asleep under the sea witch’s enchantment and were curled on their sides, sleeping along the bank of the waterfall. Vasili was sitting on an enormous boulder, his head tucked between his knees. Brennon was sitting on the ground, his back to me. Velora pointed through the palms, and I followed the direction of her finger. Beyond, I could see the white sandy beach and the longboat. She handed me a wet gray mass, which turned out to be my hat.
I wrung it out and then tucked my hair back in, not even sure why I bothered anymore.
“Thank you.” I turned around, but she was gone.
Chapter Thirteen
The reunion of the crew was not the triumphal event I thought it would be. I retreated through the underbrush and watched the men from a distance as they recovered from the aftereffects of the spell. I wasn’t ready for the questions or accusations that would come my way once they learned of my deceit, and second that I was a sorceress.
Most of them never remembered even encountering the sea witch nor sleeping in their watery prisons. They only remembered walking up on the banks of the waterfall.
“What a waste,” Adair muttered, kicking a stone. “We didn’t find any treasure.”
Vasili, who looked like he had the biggest headache, looked around in confusion at his surroundings. “I don’t remember. Where are—?”
“Where’s the woman?” Crowley called out.
“What woman?” Adair asked.
“I remember the most beautiful naked woman.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “She was embracing me.”
“You’re a nut. No woman would want to embrace you!” Swifty muttered.
I believed Brennon and Vasili remembered more. Although, I wasn’t sure. Brennon kept pacing the clearing, searching the surrounding foliage, even going waist-deep back into
the pool of water to dive below.
“What are you doing?” I muttered. My hand had been hurting ever since I sang back the water wall. I flexed my fingers and looked at my palm. What had started as a few white markings along my fingertips now spread through most of my palm and a few inches above my wrist. Like a disease that was spreading through my body.
At least I wasn’t dead… yet.
Just the thought made my mouth go sour with fear. No, I would reverse the spell. I had to. But then, the image of Velora walking without pain and speaking to her mother was beautiful. It had even created a bond between us.
I sighed and wiped away the tears that threatened to spill forth. Taking a deep breath, I headed through the palms and went back to the skiff. Howland was sitting on a fallen tree, watching the waves crash against the shore. I made plenty of noise as I came out of the dark.
“Meri!” Howland called out in surprise when he saw me. “Did ye find everyone?”
I grinned and waited until I was up close. “They’re all safe and will head back here shortly. But we should head back. They’ll be hungry.”
“What about the witch?” he asked. I could hear the fear in his voice.
“She will not bother you again,” I said, knowing that it was me who had to worry about her from now on.
“A-are ye sure?”
“I’m sure.” I stepped into the boat and was about to open my mouth to sing but then looked at my white palm and shook my head. It wasn’t worth it. I sat down and eagerly tried to get the two oars under control.
“Slow down. If I didn’t know better, I’d think ye be running away from somethin’.”
I looked back at the island, and my heart hurt. “I just want to get back on board quickly, Howland. Please.” I touched my hat, and his eyes went wide.
“Oh, that be right. Let’s get ye tucked away.” He swung his leg over the boat and sat next to me on the bench. Tuckered out, I did my best to row as fast as I could. We had just gotten to the ship and were tying off when I saw the shadows of the crew head out onto the shore.
Fang and Thorn stepping from below deck startled us as we boarded. They both froze and looked surprised to see us. Fang’s face turned into an ugly snarl, and he stormed across the deck.
